TRANSMISSION . Transmission coolers for all Toyotas ... Write up with many pictures

@gearcruncher, would a 3rd gen with the trans thermostat benefit at all from the "over-cooling" protection on these Tru-Cool units you recommended? It seems like it would not have any added benefit in terms of over-cooling protection, but i also am not seeing any way that it could hurt, except if the orifices don't allow ATF to flow at the lower limit of the thermostat opening. Would you happen to know the thermostat operating temp and lower limit that ATF would get past the over cooling protection?

Also, can you provide some clarity on where in the system the thermostat is? It seems to me that it should operate such that the ATF gets up next to the engine radiator at cold temps and then open to allow the fluid up to the cooler in addition to continuing flow through the radiator, which would require a line to/from the trans/radiator, then another line to/from the trans mounted thermostat/cooler.

 

I’m still getting above 200 with the additional cooler

 

There are a lot of reasons for high temps even with an aftermarket cooler . If you are high mileage , we need to talk

 

What size cooler?

 

I think all your questions are answered in this post
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/3rd-gen-transmission-cooler-upgrade.482280/

 

$52 Hayden 678 Universal Rapid-Cool 9.5” x 11” Add-On Transmission Cooler – Not for Direct Replacement of the OE Cooler

Hayden 678

 

I just ordered the Tru-cool.....will write up on it when I get it (prob within the next 2-4 days)

 

Below is a copy and paste from my install post. As you can see I used the hose that came with the 4454. That was eight months ago and it's been trouble free.


I was thinking I could use the stock hoses, but for my comfort, they were a little to big for the new cooler. The hose that came in the kit was a little tight going on flared factory connections, but with a little transmision fluid on them and inside the supplied hose, it went on without too much difficulty.


Here's a link to my post and install.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...ith-many-pictures.526283/page-6#post-24187763

 

The 4452 is a bit smaller than 4454. Might be close to size of oem. If just running 33s and once in a while pulling a small utility trailer, wonder if it's good enough or just go with 4454.
Or, I guess first I should use scangauge to see what temps I have first.

 

Hey guys a lurker here. I am shopping for a new Tacoma now and plan to tow my 24' enclosed trailer with a sand rail or SxS inside. Est 6k weight. I currently use a F250 4x4 7.3L diesel truck. I've towed an older toyhauler w/11k wet weight verified at Cat scales. Before an add on cooler I cooked my trans fluid ~250+ going up some big hills. Added the trans cooler and dropped to 190-200 with the same weight / hill grade. With a lighter trailer I might see 190 on the hills. Usually around 160 all the time now unloaded. Great addition along with the gauges to watch all the important info. Tried the scangauge, but didn't like it due to the very old 2003 OBD II options (not many). I always run trailer brake / WD and anti-sway when towing heavy.

Thanks for all the good info on this site.

 

Just got done installing a

Long Tru-Cool LPD Transmission Oil Cooler 4544 22000 GVW

Long Tru-Cool LPD Transmission Oil Cooler 4544 22,000 GVW on our 2016 Taco. I left the lines hooked up to the radiator and I allowed trans. fluid to continue to go through the little Toyota OEM cooler. The 4544 fit very nicely and the install was run of the mill and uneventful. All that's left to do it top off the trans. fluid and take it out for a test run. I'll post some pics when I get the fluid topped off.

Couple questions for you guys that do these often. Are the clamps that you squeeze and slide onto the barb and hose adequate for the fluid pressure these transmissions create or are a high quality stainless steel worm gear clamps safer?

I've read a lot of pro's and con's regarding pinning the thermostat. I'm pretty sure I'm going to have adequate cooling now with the 4544 running in series with the OEM cooler so should I pin the thermostat or try it without pinning?

 

I just received my Tru-cool. The clamps included suck, I went and bought some wider "made in USA" clamps from Ace hardware.
I also ordered a in-line filter, and some extra heavy duty trans oil line. Also received my Scan gauge today, so should be installing in the next day or two

 

Have the gear clamps provided in the True Cool kit changed ? Did you by chance purchase an open box ?
The clamps in the cooler kits use to be stainless steel gear clamps of very good quality .
To be honest , I always install 2 gear clamps at each termination point just in case .
I think you are one of the first members at Tacoma World commenting on the quality of the gear clamps provided in the kit .

 

Luckily I had plenty of time to make sure everything fit and was set up as I had intended. This cooler fits very nicely with no drilling or alterations on the truck itself at all. I topped off the fluid after install was complete and took it out on the road. The atmospheric temp was 80°F and the truck was unloaded not towing and the temps very briefly still touched 200°F. I was expecting much lower temps while not towing. When I got back to the shop I immediately touched the line coming from the transmission and it was hot, not excessively, but hot nonetheless. The outlet of the TruCool was much cooler, as it should be, but I didn't see that reflected in very low TC temps. I'm now contemplating whether I should pin the thermostat. I'm sure I'll give that a try at some point but I was expecting much lower fluid temps than what I experienced on the test drive.

 

New unit, un-opened box. But yes, there are 4 barb's on the brass hose fittings. The clamps provided will barely reach across 3 barbs, so really only sealing on 2 barbs.
I bought wider clamps that will cover all 4. So I guess using 2 clamps is fine, I just wanted a cleaner look.....and made in USA

 

@Urineovrurhead

 

Going to be installing a B&M 70268 on my Tacoma this weekend and doing a pan drain / fill. I'll probably go do a full flush later this year. I hit 227 in 80 degree ambient temps on the UltraGauge climbing a pretty steep hill pulling just an aluminum trailer and a RZR Turbo S. Probably 2200lbs total with all my stuff.

One thing I noticed, my temps will spike hardcore if I let the torque converter kick out of overdrive in 5th gear. Anytime the trans is kicked out of overdrive in any gear I get temperature spikes that don't seem to stop until I let it get back into that "overdrive" cruising mode. Seems to be the complete opposite of what is supposed to happen right? I'd just leave the truck in 4th gear all the time if it didn't absolutely smoke my MPG. Towing 1.5 hours I only used half a tank of fuel there and back. The first time I towed, I left it in 4th to not heat the trans too much with a pretty bad headwind and went through an entire tank in the same distance.

Anyways. I took the RZR back to the dealer for some warranty stuff. I hit 210 in stop and go traffic and when going up slight hills with a 92 degree ambient temp. I'll update when I get this thing installed and get the RZR back to try towing it.

So all you really need to do a pan drain and to fill the new cooler up is about 5 quarts give or take? Trying to figure out how much fluid to pick up at the dealer when I go to grab crush washers as well. This will be replacing the worthless OEM "towing" cooler that seems to do nothing.

EDIT:
Finished it and it dropped average temps about 20 degrees. Still gets hot as all hell when towing and the truck kicks out of overdrive. I'm wondering if my temperature I have setup on my UG is for the torque converter and not the pan. Sitting in traffic doesn't make any difference on the bigger cooler (didn't install a fan). It will hit 190 easily in traffic and go back to 170 when driving around on 95+ degree days. Hit above 200 still when towing with 95+ degree days.

I used about 5ish quarts of fluid. The cooler took almost no fluid. I used the hoses it came with and removed the oem hoses from the fittings to the oem cooler. Didn't have to modify the brackets at all and kept stock horn mounting locations. I tried adding a half quart extra and that all came out. My truck did not have a thermostat either which I found interesting.

All in all pretty easy install with no custom stuff needed. Worst part was getting the hose off the oem fittings and getting the new hose on the fitting. I think it was worth it.

 

Great post and helped me a ton. Just finished installing 4454 trucool in my 14
with tow package went smooth. I did add some small aluminum spaces for the bottom to allow a small gap between the cross member.

A few questions. Any concerns using the stainless ear clamps? Also I'm concerned about the upper hose bend radius. Any tips for calculating this? Thanks all!

Edit added a better photo of the hose bends after adjusting them.

 

Heat at the TC is a very localized measurement and not indicative of the overall system temp - but it is not totally unrelated either. The tranny cooler will absolutely help with bulk fluid temp - as seen by your pan temp - if you are pulling heavy or even unloaded and lugging the motor the TC is working and creating a bunch of local heat - pre cooling system. Ideally you want to manage this heat best you can, because any fluid exceeding 170F is attacking the life of the fluid. At the first sign of lugging the motor get out of OD and put her in 4th thus locking the TC, i.e. no relative fluid motion/friction, no extra heat. If lugging at even lower speeds - like steep forest roads - you may well want to be in 2nd gear. Picking a gear that keeps RPMs in the 2500 range will do a lot to keep the TC temps down.

 

@gearcruncher

Any input on using the 4454 with 11/32 fittings as they are notably smaller than the 10mm toyota fittings. I removed my 4454 after 2 days as I noticed the tranmission holding each gear longer when the fluid was cold. After reinstalling the oem cooler the symptoms went away. Seems like the hayden coolers with 3/8 fittings would be a closer match to the factory size but I am hesitant after my recent experience. Anyone else have similar symptoms after installing 4454 or cooler with 11/32 fittings?